Love, Trust And All That We Lack
by lightmuse
Summary: Something's brewing and the Wizarding World's future is in jeopardy. In an attempt to stop fate the Ministry orders a Marriage Law, ready to promote it with the most unlikely couple. Enter Draco Malfoy. Sparks will fly (and books, and teacups, maybe even a shoe). No good deed goes unpunished and Hermione is about to find out the hard way.
1. Chapter One

**CHAPTER ONE**

Hermione Granger entered the elevator with a smile. She pressed the button with a grace one can only manage in a good mood. She held her head high as the doors closed, placing both hands on the straps of her briefcase. She had just been called to the Minister's office and she was sure she was about to be granted her transfer from Head of _Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures_ to the position of _Junior Assistant to the Minister for Magic. _

She reached level one and her smile grew with each step she took towards the Minister's office. Lifting her hand up, she knocked twice on the wooden door. Her smile froze the moment Harry Potter opened the door. Confusion knit across her eyebrows. Harry stepped aside and motioned her in, his face giving nothing away. Inside the Office were the heads of each level the Ministry of Magic held.

"Miss Granger, we were just waiting for you." Said Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Before Hermione could speak, Shacklebolt clapped his hands three times. "I now declare this meeting in session. We have gathered the Heads of all departments for news have reached our ears. As you all know, wizarding Britain is still struggling with the war's aftermath. Thanks to the help of all of you, the Ministry has been successful in all of its tasks these past two years. It has been my pleasure working with old colleagues as well as giving opportunities to recent Hogwarts graduates, such as Miss Granger, Miss Vaden and Mr. Potter. However, a new situation has called for the attention of the International Confederation of Wizards."

The Minister paused, checking to see if he still held their attention. Hermione looked over at Harry, who looked as lost as she felt. She did not understand a single thing. She was making up her mind if to ask or not when Shacklebolt continued.

"There really isn't a way to say this. The thing is, the Confederation has noticed that due to the war there has been a great decrease in magical beings, namely witches and wizards. Therefore, together with the Wizengamot, it has been decided to pass a new law which states that all witches and wizards from the ages of seventeen to thirty-two must be married by the end of the year."

The room erupted in shouts and disagreements. Harry took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. Hermione could barely register the news. What was she going to do? Her thoughts zigzagged between Ronald Weasley and their failed relationship, the fact that they apparently now had a deadline and the possibility of finding someone new. Unconsciously bringing her hand to her mouth, she began to chew on a fingernail.

Shacklebolt lifted his hands in an attempt to quiet down the Heads of Departments. Hermione didn't understand why they were making such a big fuss; surely most of them were already past the limit age either way. Why it was not her making the fuss was beyond her.

The Minister cleared his throat before continuing. "That is not all. In order to hurry the process along, our High Court has decided that partners shall be chosen."

"_What?" _ Hermione shrieked. Everyone turned to look at her. "You mean to tell me that the Confederation and the Wizengamot have not only decided that we must wed; they have declared a deadline and are even choosing who we marry?"

"Hermione," Harry said softly.

Hermione looked at the Minister's face. It was now dry of all color and a look of guilt shadowed his eyes.

"_There's more?"_ Hermione snarled.

Shacklebolt cleared his throat. "Well, uhm, the High Court has also declared another deadline, which is really the reason for the arranged marriage after all."

Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"By the next year all arranged couples must have a newborn." Shacklebolt said in a low voice.

Hermione fumed. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing would come out. Harry put a hand on Shacklebolt's shoulder and said something slowly to him, his face twisted with anger. The Minister nodded. Everyone else was muttering quietly, others asking random questions.

Alicia Vaden walked over to Hermione, tears running down her cheeks. Then she turned to the Minister. "Why can't we choose?" She asked. "And if they will, how will they do it?"

Everyone turned to Shacklebolt. "It has been thought that choosing a partner on your own might take too long and it is necessary to start repopulating the wizarding world. As for the other question, I believe each person eligible for arranged marriage shall receive a letter tonight with the news and specifications."

"And there is nothing we can do about it?" Hermione whispered.

For the first time in a very, very long time Kingsley Shacklebolt felt tired. "I'm afraid not, Miss Granger."

Hours later Hermione was at home. She was sitting on her couch, curled up under a blanket, her legs under her and a tea mug between her hands. She was staring at the sealed envelope lying on her center table.

The letter arrived five minutes after Hermione had apparated home. She had thrown it on the table and had purposely ignored it since. She had cooked dinner, eaten, washed the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, tidied up her bedroom, placed scattered books back on the huge shelf that took a whole wall of her living room, taken a bath, changed into pajamas and made a tea.

This last one was already cold and she had yet to take a drink. She sighed and got up. Hermione took the mug back to the kitchen, threw it in the sink and leaned against the counter.

_What am I going to do? _She asked herself for the hundredth time. As soon as she had walked into her flat, Hermione had disconnected her floo network and changed the wards so no one could apparate in. It's not that she didn't want to talk to anyone, she was afraid that no one would come. Her mind had wondered back and again to Ron, to how they had taken a chance and had almost ruined the friendship.

If she had to marry tomorrow, Ron would be her first choice. But she was sure she was no longer his. She had managed to push him so far away they didn't stand a chance.

For the past hours Hermione thought of many different ways to stop the ridiculous law, she thought of arguments, points and even evidence. But she knew there was not a chance in hell she would be heard. She wondered how everyone else was coping. She was afraid to owl her friends. Doing that meant she accepted the decree, and she sure as hell did not!

She stomped her foot. Then she stomped it again for good measure. This was something she only did in the privacy of her flat. If her mother knew she still pulled the childish move… _God, my mother!_ Hermione remembered. She was sure the news would be printed in the _Daily Prophet_ tomorrow, and that her parents would read it. What they would say, Hermione could not begin to imagine, but she was sure it was not going to make her feel any better.

Hermione stomped her foot once more, enjoying the momentary smugness. She then threw her head back and groaned. Closing her eyes and taking a long, cleansing breath, Hermione walked back to the living room.

She sat heavily on her couch once more, pulled back her sweater's sleeves and picked up the golden envelope. She ripped it open and pulled out the letter. Slowly she opened it, noticing that once out the single letter became a packet of pages. Hermione began to read.

_Ministry of Magic_

_January 4__th__ 2001_

_Dear Miss Hermione Granger_

_The International Confederation of Wizards, our High Court Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic would like to thank you for your brave participation in the Second War. We would also like to take a moment to remember all the fallen wizards and witches who lost their lives fighting for their beliefs, positive or negative. We lament the loss of our brothers and sisters and the magical blood that has been shed. It is in this note that the three organizations mentioned before have decided on a new law that has already been passed and do hope for your voluntary participation in honoring it. _

_Said law states that all witches and wizards between the ages of seventeen (17) and thirty-two (32) must be married by the 25__th__ of November of this year. We are well aware of the shock and consequences this entails, and with hope of evading chaos and therefore allowing a smooth transition into a married life, it has been decided that a partner shall be chosen for you. This decision will not be random and will not be made lightly. Along with this letter you shall find a calendar with marked deadlines for completing the requests, instructions and a questionnaire. This last one must be filled as specified, for it shall be the way your partner will be chosen. It has to be owled back to the Ministry immediately after answered. Your results will be matched with those of another wizard. _

_It is of upmost importance that you follow through with these guidelines, for there are severe consequences for those who refuse to abide by the law. _

_More instructions will be given after your partner has been chosen. _

_Oscar Todd_

_Secretary of High Court of Law, Wizengamot_

Hermione's jaw dropped as she reached the final lines. Who did they think they were? She wanted to scream, run, pull her hair out but she couldn't move. She felt numb all over. Her previous decision to end the law now seemed even more weak then it had before. She had nothing to defend herself. Before she had left the Ministry, Shacklebolt had told them that if they refused to follow the new regulation their magic would be taken away.

Ironic that they would choose that punishment, give up her magic, when it was exactly what they were trying to preserve. A bell sounded in Hermione's head and carried its musical chimes to the rest of her body as something new dawned on her. Hope blossomed in her belly along with adrenaline and new determination.

So what if everyone who received the letter refused? Would they really take all of their magic away? They couldn't, wouldn't win. Hermione smiled. She had found the flaw in their perfect plan and she would make sure to use it to her advantage.

Hermione sat back and began to rewrite her arguments. She would not fill out any forms, she wouldn't marry someone she did not choose and she would not give her magic away. She was Hermione Granger, damn it! Brightest witch of her generation, if there was anyone who could annihilate this law, it was her.

**Author's note:**

**Thank you so much for reading!**

**Love,**

**lightmuse ;)**


	2. Chapter Two

**DISCLAIMER**

No copyright infringement intended. I write to learn, all credits for the Harry Potter world go to J.K Rowling.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

****For some reason FFnet rejected chapter two like a million times and then erased like half the document. I think it has to do with my computer, maybe. Either way, here's chapter two again :) Let's hope it works this time with the correct version :) ****

**CHAPTER TWO**

The following morning Hermione walked from the nearest apparition point to the Ministry of Magic with a confident stride. She was so high up on her own cleverness it took her a few seconds to register the chaos in front of her as soon as she stepped into the Ministry.

A few hundred people gathered in the main lobby, all of them angrily shouting and waving pieces of paper in the air. It looked like a scene from a muggle film she had seen once, one about Wallstreet and investments. She highly doubted these people were fighting for sales, though.

"Hermione!" Someone called.

Hermione looked around but couldn't place who had shouted her name. Then she saw her. Pushing past people was Molly Weasley with her only daughter in tow.

"Hermione, Darling! This is terrible. Have you heard the news?" The woman asked once they reached her.

Someone pushed into Hermione, giving her no chance to reply. Molly didn't seem to require an answer, for she continued to speak.

"Of course you have! What a silly question. This said law is ridiculous. How can they play like this with people's feelings? Terrible, I tell you. Simply idiotic."

Hermione took a deep breath. _Smooth transition into married life, alright. _She thought.

"Have you filled the forms?" Hermione asked Ginny.

Ginevra shook her head no. Hermione knew she and Harry Potter were starting a relationship and it would be heartbreaking if they got separated. _All the more reasons to stop this stupid law_, Hermione noted.

"Harry said you were told last night," Ginny began but Hermione did not catch the last part for more and more people were arriving at the Ministry. It was getting incredibly loud and annoyingly crowded.

Hermione got pushed against Ginny and was then thrown backwards into someone else. Strong hands steadied her. She righted herself and turned to thank her savior but stopped mid circle.

_Malfoy._

Gray eyes stared down at her from between platinum bangs. "You alright there, Granger?" he asked. Something in his voice let Hermione know it was not a polite question and he truly did not care for the answer.

Hermione pushed her shoulders back and raised her chin. "Thank you for that," Was her reply. She did not need this. Not now.

"Not a problem." He said in return.

Hermione waited to see if he would say something else, ready to lash back at him. She had not seen this man since Hogwarts. And even then she did her best to avoid him like the plague.

He stared at her for a moment, but his face gave nothing away. It was as if he wasn't even looking at her, as if she was not right in front of him, their clothes still touching.

This irked Hermione to no end. She pulled her coat tighter, ending all contact and turned completely away from him. With her hand she gestured for Molly and Ginny to follow her. She began to make her way through the sea of people.

"Miss Granger," Hermione looked over her shoulder to find Veronica Moore, her secretary.

"Veronica," Hermione greeted, holding on to Ginny's arm.

"Miss Granger, these are for you." Said the witch, holding out a stack of folders. "Mr. Shacklebolt would like to see you in his office right away. I will be at my desk if you need me."

Hermione nodded her head and glanced briefly at the folders. How could anyone think of work when they had this chaos in the first floor?

"We'll wait here, you go on, dear." Molly said to Hermione.

Hermione looked up and smiled at the older witch. "That's good. It's good that all these people came out today. It is a ridiculous law and I think I've found the way to finish it."

"Really?" Ginny asked, desperation coloring her tone.

Hermione nodded. "Listen, don't let anyone threaten you. There really is nothing they can do to enforce this law. Just stay here."

Both mother and daughter agreed. Hermione then made her way to the Minister's office. She barely glanced at the two aurors guarding the door, and they did not say a thing to her. Hermione walked right in without knocking.

"Kingsley," she began and stopped short.

Three men stood by the left wall and all glanced at Hermione as she walked in. Kingsley was leaning against his desk.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, feeling like a complete idiot. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, no, Hermione, come on in. Close the door behind you, please." Kingsley said, waving her in.

Hermione closed the door and leaned against it, then moved off to the right thinking that someone might come in as carelessly as she had. Now she was facing the three men. They all had a serious expression, except for one, the youngest, who was smiling at Hermione.

"It's quite an honor to finally meet you, Miss Granger." Said the oldest of the men. He was dressed in green robes. His hair was a mixture of black, gray and white. Hermione guessed he was in his fifties. However, she could not guess his name.

"Thank you…?" Hermione said at loss for better words.

The man laughed and his blue eyes twinkled. "Right, of course. I'm Arthur Johnson, representative of the International Confederation of Wizards. These here are Raphael Bennett and Oscar Todd." He said gesturing at the two other men.

"Mr. Bennett is secretary of the Confederation and Mr. Todd is secretary of the High Court Wizengamot." Kingsley told Hermione.

"Right, the one who sent the letter," Hermione said looking at Oscar as she shook their hands.

His smile widened. "The very same."

Hermione gave him a smile of her own, although it was nowhere near as pleasant as his. "Really? And how does it feel to have pushed this incredibly ridiculous law upon people?" she asked.

Oscar's smile fell as the tension in the room rose.

"Miss Granger!" Shacklebolt said in horror.

"It's alright, Kingsley," Raphael Bennett spoke. His hair was a pale blonde that curled around the base of his neck. His eyes, an emerald green, shone brightly against his tanned skin. Hermione guessed he was in his early thirties, at least 7 years older than Oscar, who seemed to be her own age.

"Is it?" Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Listen Miss Granger," Kingsley began again.

"We were not expecting anything less." Mr. Bennett interrupted.

"We understand how hard the adjustment will be," Oscar continued.

"You_ understand?"_Hermione sneered. "Surely you must know this law will not be accepted."

"We believe it will." Arthur Johnson spoke.

"That's why I asked you in." said Kingsley.

Hermione's mind raced with millions of thoughts, but not one could begin to answer her confusion. "I don't understand." She said at last.

"Well, you are the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. We know this law will not be easily accepted by anyone, much less the eligible witches and wizards. However, with your position and knowledge you must know the importance of regulating magical blood."

Hermione could not believe her ears. "I work for the Department for the _Regulation_ and _Control_ of Magical _Creatures._ Not human beings, _creatures._ Why would you compare the two is beyond me. And I'm still missing the point." She finished, her voice rising with each word.

"Miss Granger, I don't think you are grasping the importance of the law." Said Oscar.

"No, _I_ don't think you are grasping the absurdity of the law." Hermione countered.

Arthur Johnson sighed heavily. "Listen, dear. I understand, I truly do, the ugly part about this law. I have a daughter who is not much older than you, and as well as you, she has to abide by this new regulation. I had no way of comforting her, so I decided to speak the complete truth with her, as I will with you this moment. What I am about to tell you cannot leave this office. Under no circumstances must you repeat what you are about to hear, understand?"

Oscar and Raphael turned to look at him as if he had grown two heads. Hermione did not know what to make of that. Her sixth sense began to rattle deep down in her belly as she felt a chill go up her spine. She slowly nodded her head yes.

"A prophecy has been read. As you well know, millions of them reside right here under our feet in the Department of Mysteries. But this one, this new prophecy, is… well truly there is no word to describe it. The consequences of it, however, are disastrous."

Hermione's heartbeat accelerated as trepidation settled in the pit of her stomach.

"We fear that this past war, from which we barely survived, is not the worst we'll see."

"What does the Prophecy say?" Hermione whispered.

"You might want to sit down, dear." Shacklebolt said, gesturing towards one of the two empty chairs in front of his desk.

She walked over to the chair and promptly sat down after angling it towards the three men.

"There are laws that forbid us to reveal the contents of the prophecy. However, seeing as it involves you in measure, I believe you should know what you are up against." Arthur said thoughtfully.

"Please," Hermione begged. "I don't understand."

Kingsley placed and arm on her shoulder. "The war ended years ago. However, the ideals that pureblood families held have yet to fade out. Just because Lord Voldemort was defeated does not mean all thoughts against muggle-borns have vanished as well. All of Voldemort's main Death Eaters are either dead or in Azkaban. The greatest one of them, Lucius Malfoy, survived as you well know."

Hermione shuddered at the name. She truly did not understand where this was going, but she began to get the feeling that it was not going to be pleasant.

Kingsley continued. "Most of the prophecy is still a puzzle. But with what we've unveiled we gather that someone from the Malfoy family is ready to continue what The Dark Lord began."

"Lucius Malfoy?" Hermione asked, confused. If he was in Azkaban, surely he could not do much.

"No, dear. We've investigated and as far as we can see there is only one Malfoy descendant left, apart from Lucius himself." Mr. Bennett said.

"_Draco _Malfoy?" Hermione all but screeched.

"Yesterday in your letter it said that your partners are not to be chosen randomly, and that is in fact true. With your questionnaires and several studies from the Department of Mysteries you are fixed with the person you were bound to be with either way." Oscar explained.

"Hold on," Hermione said rising from her chair. "What does that have to do with Malfoy's prophecy?"

Oscar cleared his throat. "Well, to be honest, the law _was_ passed because of the alarming decrease of magical blood. So you see there really isn't anything wrong with it, for we are truly hurrying what is already going to happen. As for the prophecy, well, with a lot of studies the Confederation, Wizengamot and of course the Ministry have decided on a solution, one that is well hidden, totally justified and completely irreversible."

"Which is?" Hermione prompted, sitting back down.

"The only way to stop the Malfoy acting against muggle-borns is for a muggle descendant witch to be part of their own."

Panic rose in Hermione's throat. "Meaning?" she asked in a small voice.

"Your partner has been chosen." Kingsley said softly.

Anger and despair filled Hermione's body. This could not be happening. It simply could not. She had found the way out, damn it! How could it be that less than an hour ago she had been above all this and now she was in, waist deep? No, probably further down, all the way to her neck the mud trapped her. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't think.

"Why?" she croaked.

_Why. _That tiny word was not enough, but it was the only one which could resume the turmoil of feelings threatening to pull her apart.

"Why?" she asked louder, the anger flowing now. She got up from her chair and began pacing the room.

"You were meant to do this right. There is someone I was meant to be with. What will be of him, then, whoever he is? What will be of me without him? And then he will be paired with someone who was not meant for him. And how about her, this other girl? Who was she meant to be with, then?" She rambled on.

Four pairs of eyes followed her every move, their heads hanging low. _Good!_ Hermione thought. _They should be ashamed_.

"Hermione," Shacklebolt said sternly, putting an end to her madness.

"No!" Hermione yelled, turning on him. "Don't you dare! Don't Hermione me. Why are you doing this to me? There are so many muggle-borns out there! You could have chosen someone else! Why me?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth guilt filled her. Why not someone else? Well, why not her? It was not fair, she knew. But she couldn't have it upon herself for this unfairness to damage somebody else.

"You have yet to allow us to finish." Oscar said slowly.

Now the other men were looking at him as if _he_ had grown an extra head.

"What…?" Raphael asked.

Oscar put his hand up to silence him and then walked to Hermione. She grounded her feet and raised her chin not giving a damn that it was very much quivering.

Oscar raised his hand to Hermione's cheek. She flinched and he hesitated. She stood still again as he continued to reach for her. With the tip of his finger he trailed down from her temple to her jaw.

Hermione didn't know what to do.

"Hermione," he whispered, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. All this while she was staring into his eyes, but he was not returning her gaze. His were the brightest eyes she had ever seen. Sparks of gold and brown interlaced in a deep pool of honey. She was in the middle of counting each speck of gold around the black when his eyes met hers.

She blushed, feeling like an intruder. He half smiled.

"Your partner was not chosen by our hand, but by fate. Hermione, prophecy or no prophecy, Draco Malfoy is meant for you as you are meant for him."

Hermione's knees felt weak. Her head began to spin.

Shacklebolt stepped forward then. "Maybe you should go home, dear."

Hermione nodded meekly. She felt numb all over.

Oscar was still staring into her eyes. He stepped back to give her space. Shacklebolt led her to the door and called for his secretary.

"Lowell, make sure Miss Granger gets home safely, she is not feeling well. Take her out the back so you avoid the crowds." He instructed.

"Right away, Sir." Lowell took Hermione from Kingsley's arms and began to walk her down the hall.

Kingsley turned back to his office and closed the door.

"You lied to her!" Arthur accused, turning on Oscar.

Oscar sighed and leaned comfortably against the desk. "He lied to her first." He said slowly, pointing to Kingsley.

Raphael looked ready to behead Oscar, but Kingsley stepped in.

"Alright, listen. We told her what was due for her to accept. What Oscar did was rather smart. You can only appeal to her in so many ways and we all knew this was not going to be an easy task."

"Yes, but now-"

Kingsley raised his hand, cutting Arthur short.

"And now, we just wait and hope for the real prophecy to change."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Hello! :) Thank you for the reviews, favs and follows! Until next time! **

**Love,**

**lightmuse**


	3. Chapter Three

**DISCLAIMER: **

I, of course, own the whole Harry Potter world. Except that I don't, J.K. Rowling does so all credits go to her.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Hello lovelies! I am deeply sorry for the delay; there is no excuse for it, really. Just, you know, life getting in the way. But I'm still here, hoping that you too are. Thank you so much for the reviews, favs and follows! You make me so happy!**

**I would recommend to read chapter two again, some changes were applied so, you know, just in case. And I would also like to point out that yes, Hermione was lied to, but we still don't know exactly about what.**

**Okay, on to the story! **

**CHAPTER THREE**

It was a strange sunny morning in January. Normally Hermione would not care that it was sunny, or that it was January. But with the latest developments in the wizarding world, it was hard not to keep the date in mind and to notice that the sun was shining like if nothing was wrong in the world, like if she was not expected to marry someone who she completely despised, who in turn, despised her back.

She was reluctant to get out of bed. It was Saturday, she did not have to be at work, she did not have any plans and so it was easy, for just a second, to act like she had not received that letter. For just a second. And then everything came crashing back down. She groaned angrily and got out of bed.

Two hours later she sat with her head on her folded arms at the Weasley breakfast table. Why they referred to it as a breakfast table was beyond her, for they used it for all their meals. The thing was, once the war was officially over, after a lot of arguing, points of views _and it's what Fred would have wanted_, the Weasleys decided to remodel the Burrow. It actually meant that they took apart the whole house and rather than build upwards, they built to the sides which resulted in a bigger family area, a breakfast room adjacent to the kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom for each of the Weasley children, three guestrooms, a master bedroom for Molly and Arthur and a dining room. This last one was the least used room in the whole house.

There was a white marquee, similar to the one set up for Bill and Fleur's wedding, which went from the back door of the house to the couple's new home. Hermione was pretty sure it was the same marquee. Bill and Fleur decided to leave Shell Cottage when Fleur became pregnant with Victorie so they could be close to Molly, who promised to help (as a way to apologize for speaking ill of their prompt engagement, no doubt, Arthur Weasley liked to say teasingly to his wife).

All in all Hermione loved how the Weasleys always stuck together. Now here she was a part of this huge, loud and disorganized family.

She was on this train of thought when Molly patted her back. Hermione lifted her head.

"Your tea is getting cold, dear." The older witch said absently as she moved around the table, tidying up the place.

Hermione smiled fondly, lifting the cup up to her lips. She was about to take a sip when Ronald Weasley walked in. He was wearing nothing but loose jeans, _the greatest muggle invention,_ he would say. He was drying his hair with a stripped green and white towel, effectively blocking Hermione out of his sight.

Hermione's breath caught and she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. Taking advantage of his momentary blindness, her eyes roamed his upper body, from his muscular chest, to his toned arms to his taut stomach. God, he was beautiful.

In that precise moment, Ron dropped the towel. Hermione caught his gaze and arched an eyebrow. Ron's mouth fell open.

"Morning," Hermione volunteered.

Ron's mouth snapped closed, he bent at the waist and snatched the towel up and held it to his chest as a way to cover himself up, Hermione guessed. Oh, who was he kidding? It's not like she had not seen him naked before.

She rolled her eyes at him in an attempt to lighten the moment. She understood his discomfort, of course she did. But they had agreed to be friends, and as a friend Hermione had seen him wearing nothing but boxers, same way she had seen Harry Potter. It was no big deal. At least, that's what she kept on telling herself. She had yet to completely believe it, though.

He cleared his throat. "Good morning, 'Mione." He walked over to a small closet off to the side, where Molly hung all of the freshly washed clothes. Ron took a black t-shirt out and pulled it over his head.

Hermione's eyebrow went up again. "Hello there, non magical red head." She said in a low voice.

Ron smiled at her. "Do I look muggle?" He asked.

"You sure do. Why?" Hermione asked in return.

Ron cleared his throat again and became sort of flustered. He busied himself with hanging the towel over the back of a chair and stole a look at Hermione.

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. They seemed to have a lot of moves, those eyebrows. He sighed and decided to be honest. Honesty was, after all, a great virtue between friends, which they had agreed to be.

"I have a date with Vanessa Dawson". The words came sort of rushed and between a lot of air.

Hermione's frown deepened, and then her face smoothed with comprehension, and then became blank. Ron's heart skipped a beat. He did not believe she was jealous. Not for a second did he think that. But he knew she could be hurt.

"Vanessa Dawson. She plays in your team, right?" She asked, her voice, thank God, sounded very normal. She took a sip from her tea. It was cold.

Ron nodded. "She is muggle born. She thought it would be a good idea for me to meet her parents today. I don't really think it's a good idea, what with the new law and all. But she insisted and so well, they live in muggle London, so I was sort of hoping to blend in."

Hermione smiled warmly at him. That was Ronald, always looking for the positive side, always pushing the bad things aside as if they didn't matter. Hermione loved that about him, although she couldn't stand it when he adopted that attitude with her. That was when she knew she couldn't be with him, when she figured out it was not an attitude but his personality.

They argued a lot, disagreed even more and only worked things out after a lot of angry sex. Oh, the sex was good. But that was the thing, it was only after physical contact that they each managed to push the bad things away and focused on how good they were for each other. Just like Ron always did, which just did not work for Hermione. She needed to connect with a man on more than just a physical level.

It was not Ron's fault, she knew. But neither was it hers. So she broke it off. And now here he was, going to meet the parents of the girl he was apparently dating, not caring about the marriage law and the fact that Vanessa could very well not be meant for him while there she sat, watching him get dressed, knowing whom she was meant to be with and understanding she did not connect with Draco Malfoy in any level, much less a physical one.

* * *

><p>The following Monday Hermione walked to her office, ignoring the foul moods of everyone. All weekend she had purposely stayed indoors, refusing to read the mail and speak to anyone that was not Molly Weasley. Even Ginny asked what had come of her plan to refute the new law, but Hermione just shook her head and told her to promptly fill the forms. Ginny was inconsolable.<p>

_Oh, well. _Hermione thought. Everybody was going to end up with their soul mates either way, so why not just get it over with? She knew it was true, and yet she felt guilty every time she remembered Ginny's face.

She had yet to speak to Harry, to her parents and of course, to Draco Malfoy himself. About this last one she did not know how to go about it. She did not fill out the forms, trusting that the Ministry would still manage to remind her with whom she was to be wed.

She kicked her office door open, ignoring Veronica Moore, her secretary. Veronica scrambled to her feet, trying to tell Hermione about her messages, walking quickly into the office behind the brunette.

Hermione placed her briefcase on her desk, pulled of her coat and finally turned to Veronica, cutting the blonde witch off in mid sentence.

"Have you filled your forms, Veronica?" Hermione asked.

Veronica looked very confused. She was tall, blonde and had the bluest eyes Hermione had ever seen. In all, she was gorgeous. If anyone could compete with Fleur Delacour, it was her. She wondered if maybe she was part veela as well.

"Are you in love, Veronica?" Hermione asked.

Veronica's eyes turned sad. Hermione pushed the guilt away.

"Do you maybe think he is the one?" Hermione persisted.

Veronica's back straightened. "I was in love." She answered softly. "We had plans to marry, have two children and buy a home in maybe America, away from all the sad history, from the darkness in which Voldemort enclosed us all. And then Aaron died, fighting for light, fighting for a future we would never share."

Hermione felt like a monster. Here she was, feeling like a victim of her own fate, ignorant of those around her. Hermione had always taken Veronica to be frivolous and now she felt heartless and ached for Veronica, although she had no right to neither feel any sorrow for her nor take Veronica's pain as her own. It was like becoming the victim all over again.

"I am so sorry," Hermione said at last, feeling utterly idiotic.

Veronica shrugged, as if Hermione was apologizing for bumping into her. "The war changed us all, pushed us to situations that were and are out of our control. But that is the cycle of things, act and work with the results." With that Veronica left the stack of notes on Hermione's desk and walked out of the office, closing the door behind her.

Hermione was not sure if she understood. But it made sense. No one wanted to be wed to someone they didn't choose just like no one wanted to stand in a battle field were the odds of surviving were truly discouraging. And yet many fought bravely, stood up for light, for a greater good, to give others a chance to live; to give people like her, muggleborns, a chance to grow, know, practice and love magic.

Surely she could stand this new war, a war with herself and with a former enemy, for greater good. For she knew magic had to be kept alive and because she knew that if there was anything she could do to keep all of her loved ones out of danger's way, if she could prevent another war against her own blood, she would do it, no matter what.

So just like that it no longer mattered who she had to bind herself to, if she had to sacrifice herself for the chance to keep the light, she knew she would do it. Besides, how bad could it be to spend the rest of your life with the person the stars swore was meant for you?

She leaned against her desk and couldn't help but wonder how, under normal circumstances, her and Malfoy would have ended up together. She tried to picture meeting him for lunch dates, sharing secrets and moments, eventually ending up in his bed and his heart. She shook her head just as a knock came from the door.

Hermione straightened and was just about to say "come in" when the door was pushed open and in walked Draco Malfoy.

All blood drained from Hermione's face. Draco closed the door behind him and leaned against it, coolly regarding Hermione.

Suddenly Hermione remembered how to speak. "You do realize you have to wait to be invited in."

Draco sighed and pulled out an envelope from his coat. "I figured this could serve as my invitation."

Hermione arched and eyebrow as he pulled the letter out. He continued to unfold it with graceful fingers, holding the envelope behind the parchment.

"Ministry of Magic, January 8th 2001. Dear Mr. Draco B. Malfoy: It is not often that love becomes the priority of the Ministry of Magic, the High Court of Wizengamot and the International Confederation of Wizards. You must surely understand the seriousness in which we studied your forms and after a thorough research we have reached a conclusion. We are not able to completely reveal the process in which your partner was chosen, but we can promise you both your interests were taken deeply into consideration. It is then my great pleasure to announce to you that Miss Hermione Jean Granger has proven to be your best choice." Draco recited as if he were reading a recipe for cheese cake.

Hermione did not know how to act. She already knew, of course. But she doubted she was supposed to tell Malfoy everything she knew. Her eyes narrowed.

Draco barely spared her a glance; he just continued reading, ignoring Hermione's tapping foot.

"Miss Granger has received a similar letter announcing you as her new partner. We know about the chaos the results may cause in every witch and wizard so we advice you complete discretion. Not everyone has received their responses so we also ask of you to keep from meeting Miss Granger until Monday January 15th, the official date in which you are to meet in front of the Representatives of the three offices mentioned above." Draco looked up and began to fold the letter.

"And then it goes on with more instructions, pleads and thank-yous." He said, still with that uncaring tone.

They stayed silent for about a minute and then Hermione cleared her throat. "I am sure you realize today is not the 15th."

Draco plucked some inexistent lint from his coat, flicking it away lazily. "Is that all you have to say, Granger?"

"Am I meant to say more?" Hermione countered.

"Well, I know I'm a great catch. But I figured you would throw a fit and you know, be all dramatic."

Hermione snorted. Draco frowned, disgusted at the sound. "Sorry to disappoint." Hermione said.

"Ah, maybe it's for the best. You hair gets all crazy and frizzy when you become dramatic."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"Come on, Granger. You are telling me you are just going to let a whole bunch of people in weird colored robes tell you who to marry? No wait, that's not right. You are willing to marry _me_?"

"Is that a proposal?" Hermione arched an eyebrow. Her cool act was a show. Inside she was jittery, her palms were sweaty and she was trying very hard not to show she was frightened.

Draco's stance mirrored hers. And then he smirked. "I see how it is. You want me; you are in fact happy for this arrangement."

Hermione smiled sweetly, clasping her hands together. "You caught me."

"Last time we spoke you told me you never wanted to see me again. You were sure to tell me I worse than the dirt on the soles of your shoes. Forgive me if I don't believe your calm." He said darkly, taking a few steps toward her.

"I did not say that." Was all Hermione could respond.

Draco shrugged. "You might as well have." He took two more steps.

Hermione cleared her throat. "I am not happy with this arrangement,"

"And yet here you are, not fighting back." He interrupted, finally taking the last steps that separated them.

He was so close Hermione had to push her head back to look him in the eye. She glared at him. She felt cornered, and like that one night three years ago she felt like he could see through her soul. She pushed the memories away.

"I am not happy. I already fought, before knowing it was you. As soon as I found out about the law I did my best to get rid of it. Nothing worked." She said between clenched teeth.

Draco half smiled. "I understand that. But why are you not fighting me? Why aren't you storming into Shacklebolt's office demanding to see the results and for your partner to be changed?"

"I don't think you are capable of change." Hermione said sweetly again.

Draco's eyes darkened. "Already joking, Miss Granger?"

Hermione sighed and slipped aside. She walked to her chair and sat, Draco following her with his gaze.

Hermione rubbed her temples. "Listen, Malfoy. I don't mean to have a heart to heart here, and neither do I want to give a speech."

"I have a hard time believing that." He said, taking a seat in one of the two chairs facing Hermione's desk.

She ignored his comment.

"But things are hard right now, everything's changed." She remembered how Kingsley had told her how she, more than anyone, had to understand the reason for the law; and not because of the prophecy, but because magical blood was in danger of becoming extinct. "I don't believe it's the best approach, but I understand the goal. I think it's what we need."

Draco arched and eyebrow. "Even if that means tying yourself to me?"

"There are worst things than you. Besides, there are ways around this law." She said defiantly.

Draco's eyebrows knit with confusion, and then comprehension dawned on his face.

"No." was his simple response.

**A/N:**

**Until next time! :) **

**Love, **

**lightmuse**


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: **

**I am not J.K. Rowling and do not own any of the names you recognize. **

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Her office was silent. She could not believe she had said that. _Way to go, Hermione,_ she thought to herself. _You will definitely win his trust like that. _

She leaned forward, placing both elbows on the desk and resting her chin on her entwined hands. "No?" She asked with and arched eyebrow.

"No." He answered simply.

"You don't even know what I´m talking about." She pointed out.

"But I do." He stood up, swiftly placing both hands on her desk and leaned in.

Hermione tried her best not to pull back. "Oh?" She prompted softly.

"I do understand the law, Granger. If we are to wed we will do it right. No nonsense about going around it. I will not be made a fool, nor will I risk the chance of giving my name to a child I did not father. You would be mine as I would be yours." He said in a low voice.

If not for the knowledge of why she was stuck in the present situation, Hermione might have even thought this was romantic. She flushed with the idea of it. In an attempt to hide it she smiled brightly.

"Gods, Malfoy. If I didn´t know better I would say it is _you_ who is happy with this arrangement." She said mockingly.

Draco slowly straightened, his long fingers softly sliding down her desk until they rested on the edge. Hermione could not understand the look in his eyes and her chest tightened with something close to fear. The silence dragged on and she was at lost with words. Finally he spoke.

"But you do know better. Besides, there are worst thing than you."

Hermione smirked.

Draco turned to leave. "I must go, then. See you the 15th, yes? Good bye, Granger." He opened the door, stepped out and softly closed it behind him.

Hermione rubbed her temples. This was getting to be harder than she thought. She really didn't know how to behave, how to respond. On the one hand she had her hatred for him, and on the other the responsibility tugging at her to do what was right. And in this moment the right thing was to accept him in hopes he could care enough for her so he would no longer want to hurt anyone who differed from his blood status.

The question was _how. _How could she, in short words, make him fall for her without losing herself in the process?

She couldn't even begin to think about the results. How could they even be meant for each other? They were completely different, not to mention the antagonistic attitude each adopted when confronting the other.

She groaned and leaned back on her chair. She was going to need some help or someone who she could talk to and aid her in figuring out his intentions, thoughts and actions.

With a loud sigh Hermione straightened and began to work. She didn't have any answers now, so she might as well stop thinking about it. So with that she pushed the topic to the back of her mind and began reading reports.

A few hours in and a lot of paperwork done later a letter slipped under her door and flew right onto her desk. Hermione pushed it aside so she could continue working but the envelope kept returning to the middle of her desk. Hermione sighed and decided to open it.

_Ministry of Magic_

_January 8__th__, 2oo1 _

_Dear Miss Hermione J. Granger_

_We are sure you have received the letter announcing the name of the person chosen for you. Along with it came a date in which you two were to meet in front of the three offices in charge. Said date was set for the 15__th__ of this month, however due to paperwork we have decided to move up the date. If you could attend, please, to the chosen location on Friday January 12__th__ we'd be most grateful. _

_My best regards,_

_Laura Lowell _

_Assistant to the Secretary of High Court of Law, Wizengamot_

Hermione laughed humorlessly. They were to meet officially on Friday. She supposed it was for the best, get it over with. She laughed again. _Get it over with, _as if the meeting wasn't to "amiably" accept the law and therefore, each other as soon to be husband and wife.

She cringed. Someone knocked on her door bringing her out of her reverie.

"Come in," she called.

Harry Potter opened the door and stepped in. "Hey, sorry to bother you. I was waiting for your secretary to announce me or something, but she's not there."

Hermione smiled warmly and waved him in. "It's fine, don't worry."

Harry closed the door behind him and sat on the chair previously occupied by Draco. Hermione looked away, trying to hide a giggle as she compared the two men. They were probably around the same height, Malfoy perhaps a bit taller. But where Harry was round and soft, Malfoy was lean and strapping. And the way Harry sat, all sprawled on the chair, both his arms at his sides hanging over the armrest and his legs pushed forward served to add to the list. He hung his head back and yawned.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

Harry slowly nodded, resting his chin on his chest. "Just tired. Have you received your letter?"

Hermione winced. "What letter?"

Harry lifted his head, one eyebrow disappearing under his dark hair.

"You know what letter."

"Did you get yours?" Hermione countered.

"I did."

"Ginny?" Hermione said hopefully.

"Of course," Harry said breaking into a huge smile.

"Oh, Harry I'm so happy for you!" Hermione gushed rushing to her feet and walking around the desk to hug him.

Harry pushed himself up from the chair and met her halfway. "I was so nervous!"

"I know, sweetie. But of course it had to be you two." Hermione said in his ear.

When they broke apart Harry took her hands, holding tight. "Mione, I know for a fact you were not, uhm, paired up with Ron. And your face tells me you got your letter already. Who is he?"

Hermione looked away. "…I-"

"Come on, Mione." Harry said softly.

"Draco Malfoy." Hermione said in a whisper.

Harry froze. "Malfoy?" He said in disbelief.

Hermione nodded once.

"How could that be?" He asked.

"Fate?" she volunteered, unconvinced.

"There has got to be something we could do. How can they expect you to marry into a family who tortured you?" Harry said outraged.

"I already tried everything." Hermione said softly.

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"I spoke with the offices, told them first what I thought of the law. Then when I was told about Malfoy I… I tried everything Harry, I really did. But they said it wasn't a simple choice, they said they used magic to find our partners." Hermione finished wistfully.

"Yeah, I heard." He said, letting go and sitting back down.

Hermione leaned on the side of her desk, crossing her arms at her chest. "Heard?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Word is the Ministry took the liberty of looking into the Department of Mysteries and used a lot divination to try and pair us up with whom we were going to marry eventually."

"Really?" Hermione asked, feigning surprise.

"It was rather smart of them, I think. And I thought it would help with the initial shock. But seeing as Malfoy was chosen for you… well let's just say I didn't see that one coming."

"Yeah," Hermione murmured.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "I'm all for protecting the magical world and doing whatever it takes to keep it going. But when I heard about the law I was furious. And then when I was told about Malfoy… I just don't know what to think."

"Who would have thought? I have to tell you though; I would have liked to see how you and Malfoy would have ended up together under normal circumstances."

Hermione half smiled. "I have a hard time picturing it."

"Who else have you told? Have you spoken to him?" Harry asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I haven't seen him either" she lied.

"I wonder how he's taking it." Harry mused.

"I wouldn't know." She answered.

"I haven't seen the bloke since his father's trial." Harry said, drumming his fingers against his lips.

Hermione nodded. "I saw him the morning after they first told us about the law, when the atrium was full of people."

"Yeah? Probably trying to make sure he got a pureblood wife." He said with a smirk.

Hermione glared at him. "Funny."

Harry turned serious. "We have plenty against him, Mione. The whole wizarding world does. But I don't know, maybe he's changed. We all have changed. Maybe he deserves a second chance, I mean, his family did switch sides in the end and while he did put us all in danger at Hogwarts, I owe his mother my life."

Hermione sighed. Once the war had officially ended and the pursuing of muggleborns turned into a hunting of Death Eaters, the Malfoy's were the first to go down. However, thanks to Narcissa lying to Voldemort about Harry being dead, Lucius was released from Azkaban after serving only five months post-war. While Draco had not been exactly imprisoned, he did spend two months in Azkaban while investigations were running. His mother then suffered a critical mental breakdown and was admitted at St. Mungo's. Hermione had only read about Draco's release but after that his whereabouts had pretty much been unknown to her.

"I suppose," she said.

"It won't be easy, I'll give you that." He allowed.

"No, it won't." She sighed. "Have you told anyone the methods the Ministry used to find our partners?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I think it would only have negative results."

"True." She answered, nodding.

"I have to get back to work. Are you going to dinner at the Weasley's tonight?"

"I don't know. I have to go home and talk to my parents."

Harry whistled. "Good luck with that."

Hermione straightened as Harry stood. "Thanks."

"I'll see you later, then." He said as we walked towards the door.

"Harry," Hermione called, waiting until he turned around to face her before she spoke. "Don't tell anyone about Malfoy yet. I've still got get used to the idea and I really don't need everybody's opinion."

Harry half smiled. "Sure, Mione. See you tomorrow."

Hermione watched him walk out the door and took a deep breath. Well at least he didn't get all dramatic, in fact he did sound supportive. That helped a bit. Now she had to face her mother. One step at a time, she supposed.

It was eight o'clock and Hermione sat at the Granger's dinner table picking at her lemon pie.

"Well, I have to say, it's a surprise to see you home." Elizabeth Granger said for what must have been the hundredth time. Although the words sounded nice, Hermione knew her enough to detect the edge on her tone.

Hermione sighed. "I come at least once a week, mother." She said. They were halfway through dessert and Hermione still had to find a way to tell her mother about Malfoy.

Her mother continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I ran into Mrs. Thompson the other day. She asked me about you and was surprised to hear that we barely see you."

Hermione tried her best not to roll her eyes. She peeked at her dad, who was reading through the paper and as perusal, ignoring everything around him.

"Oh, and you'll never believe who's back in town. Remember Charles Evans? You used to play at the park with him all the time."

Hermione frowned, trying to picture his face. Charlie was the boy next door. They had grown up together, but when they turned twelve his parents divorced and he and his mother moved to America. Hermione saw him every other holiday when he visited his father, but over the years they went from friends to friendly, only smiling and trading polite words when running into each other.

"How is he?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, grown up! And so handsome, too! He came back with his mother; apparently they are staying for good. He's studying medicine, can you believe that? A doctor! Mary asked me about you, she's hoping that you two will become friends again, and frankly so do I. I think it would be good for you to spend some time with someone different, someone who's from this world and not-"

"I'm engaged," Hermione interrupted abruptly, regretting it immediately.

Her mother was silent, shock clear on her face. Hermione turned to her father, who was looking intently at her over the pages of the paper.

"I'm sorry?" Elizabeth said softly, menacingly.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Haven't you read The Prophet?" She asked.

Her mother frowned. "Hermione you know I throw it out as soon as it arrives. But what does that have to do with anything?"

Well, that meant she didn't know about the marriage law. Hermione sent a quick thank you to the heavens as relief flooded through her.

"Well, there's this guy I have been seeing… and he's… well special to me… and we've, well he proposed and… well I… we're going to get married." Hermione managed to say.

Hermione's mother looked at her as if she had grown an extra head. Then she turned to her husband. "Richard, tell her something! This is so inappropriate. We haven't even heard about this man. First she leaves home and now this." She finished pleadingly, her voice rising with each word.

Just then a child's cry was heard through the baby monitor resting on a corner table. Hermione's mother rose gracefully from her chair and made her way out of the dining room and into the hall.

Hermione turned to her father. "Is she still sick?"

"Lena's doing better. She doesn't have a fever anymore, but still has a bit of trouble breathing."

Helena, or Lena as they called her, was Hermione's two year old baby sister. Hermione adored her deeply and was more than happy her mother got her wish of having another child.

Last time she had been home, Lena had a terrible cold, but Hermione was happy to know she was recovering.

Just then her mother walked into the dining room, baby Lena in her arms. She looked exactly like her older sister, with wild honey curls and big brown eyes. Hermione smiled brightly and went to the baby.

Lena instantly smiled and pushed from her mother, extending her arms to Hermione. Taking her in her arms, Hermione began giving her loud kisses on her cheeks and chubby neck, making the child squeal with joy. Hermione laughed along with her and turned to her mother, who was watching them with a strange look in her face.

"I have to get going," Hermione said glancing down at the baby who began playing with her sister's necklace.

"We still have to talk, Hermione." Her father warned.

"I know. I'll talk to him and see when we could arrange a date for you to meet him, maybe dinner at the flat?" She asked.

"Dinner here," Her mother corrected. "Just let us know the date."

Hermione nodded. "I'll see you guys soon, then." She kissed Lena one last time before handing her back to her mother. She then kissed both her parents on the cheek took her coat and walked out of the house, apparating home once she was at least a block away.

When she was getting ready for bed, she thought about the day's events. Everything was going smoothly and Hermione didn't like that. She could feel something was off, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

Before turning off the lights, she sent and owl to The Prophet, asking them to remove her parents subscription to the paper.

**Thank you for reading! :) **


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N**

**Hello! Important note at the end. Now go read! :D **

**CHAPTER FIVE **

She was running. Panic rose to her throat as she made her way through the dark, maze-like corridors. Feeling very disoriented she stopped to lean against a wall. Closing her eyes and ignoring her jagged breaths she listened intently. Explosions and screams echoed down the halls. She shook her head, guessing she must still be on the west side of the castle.

She looked down. It was too dark to see her own feet, but she didn't dare light a soft _lumos_. Something to her left caught her eye. Her head snapped up, but she couldn't see anything. And then there it was again, a faint glow, like light caught in a mirror. Then she heard the groan of moving stairs. She took off running again, hoping to find a way down.

Her steps quickened and a second too late she realized she had been careless. Had she been paying attention to all her senses and not focusing only in the anxiousness settled at the pit of her stomach she would have heard him coming.

Instead she kept going, until she was knocked off her feet and got pushed into the wall. She saw stars, pain shooting up her spine. But instinct and his low oath brought her back. Regaining her balance she forced the tip of her wand on his Adam's apple, giving him no time to react.

Magic vibrated through her, gold energy bursting in specks of light off her wand's tip. The glow lit up some of his face, dark shadows giving him an eerie look as his eyes widened with recognition. Then a nasty snarl replaced his surprise.

_Malfoy. _

Hermione woke with a start. Glancing around, she recognized her own bedroom. _It was a dream, _she thought. Except that it wasn't. It was a memory, buried in time, crawling around her subconscious, demanding to be remembered.

She looked at the small clock resting on her bedside table and groaned. It was three hours too early before she had to be at work. Since her visit to her parents', Hermione couldn't sleep well. Now it was Friday, the date she and Malfoy had to officially accept their engagement.

Pushing thoughts and feelings of the _dream_ to the back of her mind she decided to start her day. She didn't have time to dwell on the past when she had to concentrate on her future. Hermione pushed herself off the bed, determined to progress in all angles of her life.

Twelve minutes to ten found the brunette witch at her office. She was pacing the room with an open book on her arms as she carefully read about Veela lifestyle for a case she was currently working on.

Hermione liked to work barefoot and so every time she came across a particularly interesting passage she dug her toes deeper into the plush rug that was at the center of her office.

A knock at her door made her jump and she cleared her throat as Veronica popped her head in.

"Miss Granger, you have seven minutes until your ten o'clock meeting. Perhaps you want to get going." Hermione's assistant said.

Hermione smiled, shutting the book closed. "Of course. Thank you, Veronica."

Veronica smiled in return and left Hermione to find her shoes. Suddenly her palms turned sweaty and her stomach flipped strangely. Flashes of her dream danced behind her eyes and she did her best to ignore them.

Slipping her feet into her high heels, Hermione wiped her hands on her black pencil skirt. She straightened her tucked white shirt and made sure all the buttons were hooked correctly. Taking a huge breath, the brightest witch Hogwarts had seen in ages made her way to the lion's den. Or snake's nest. Who knew, really?

Official meetings took place in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Different representatives from the Ministry, Wizengamot and the Confederation were conducting the interviews and signing of cooperation between each chosen couple.

Once on the Department's level, Hermione made her way to the office marked as "Room Three" and knocked on the wooden door. Hermione was not surprised to find Kingsley himself opening the door. Of course he would be in her hearing.

"Miss Granger," He said with a bow of his head, opening the door wider and letting her through.

Hermione managed not to cringe when she saw Malfoy already in the room. He glanced up at her, a bemused look on his face. Hermione cleared her throat and nodded in acknowledgement. Draco simply returned his gaze to Kingsley.

Kingsley walked to the desk and just like in Hermione's office, there were two chairs facing the old wooden counter. The Minister motioned for each to take a seat as he lounged on the desk.

Hermione tried to look unbothered, but she all but stalked across the room and quickly sank into one of the chairs, ignoring Draco's movements besides her.

Kingsley cleared his throat. "Right. So here we are then. Miss Hermione Granger and Mr. Draco Malfoy, you are here today to sign your acceptance of the recently passed law regarding an arranged marriage. As explained in your letters, you two were proven to be each other's best match and we hope you approve of it as we do."

_Ha!_ Hermione thought.

From the corner of her eye she tried to gauge Malfoy's reaction. With his elbows propped on the chair's arms, he clasped his hands together and brought them up to his chin as he tried to conceal a sardonic twist of his mouth.

Kingsley drawled on. "I'm sure you are completely aware of the consequences should you defy the law. What you are to sign is a contract. It is not the same as the marriage one you will sign at your ceremony, but see it as a pact. This means you will do everything, and I do mean _everything _in your power to make your relationship work. This will leave little to no room for sabotage since different things are expected from your bonding-"

"Different things?" Draco scoffed. "All you care about is a child. That is the reason for this law. You expect us to reproduce and nothing more."

Hermione blushed and swallowed hard as Kingsley's eyes darkened.

"Alright Mr. Malfoy, then allow me to be very clear. Different things are expected from _you two_, specifically."

_The Prophecy,_ Hermione thought.

"How so?" Draco persisted.

Kingsley rubbed his eyes. "You two are the strangest match we received. We are no fools, Mr. Malfoy. We knew this law would have consequences and we knew people were not going to gladly accept it. We have been dealing with incursions, threats, attacks and so much more. And yet, you are still the strangest result."

"That is because there is no way, under normal circumstances, that I would marry _her_." Draco snarled.

Anger spread through Hermione and she was ready to retort when Kingsley raised his hand to silence her.

"Be that as it may, Mr. Malfoy, the thing is that although the strangest match, you are also the best one. I truly cannot say much about the choosing process, but I can assure you no one matched anyone else better than you two."

Draco waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, I got that from the letters. Get to the point, Shacklebolt, I haven't got all day."

"Then stop interrupting." Hermione mumbled.

Draco turned to her. "Have you something to say?" he asked calmly.

Hermione met his glance. "Just be quiet and let him finish."

"Look at that, haven't even signed the damn paper and she believes we are equals." Draco said brushing inexistent dust from his trousers.

A growl nested at the base of her throat, her hands balling into fists. "If you are going to start with your stupid, blood-"

"Alright, stop it." Kingsley cut in. "You are no longer children, so stop arguing like you are. And to get to the point, Mr. Malfoy, the three offices in charge of overlooking the law have decided to make you two the face of the new campaign."

"What campaign?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"You will try to exploit us, won't you?" Draco accused.

"In short words, yes. If you two can work your _impossible_ relationship out, then-"

"You want us to sell the image of a happy couple?" Hermione asked uncertainly.

"A couple who has been placed in a hard situation but is willing to work their differences to achieve a common goal and who might even find love."

Hermione snorted.

"Not likely." Draco said dryly.

"Ah, but you will do everything in your power to do it. And even if you don't fall in love you will make everybody believe you have."

"And if we don't?" Hermione asked.

"You really don't have a choice." Kingsley answered coldly.

"This is ridiculous." Draco said, standing up.

"Yes, well, this is the law." Kingsley refuted as he picked up a quill and placed it in Hermione's hand, motioning to the contract resting on the desk.

Hermione gulped. Looking at the golden scroll and skimming through it she felt sick. There wasn't anything particularly interesting in the writing, nor was there anything she hadn't heard from Kingsley and read in her letter.

Propaganda. That's what it looked like to her. Like a speech written to make her feel better about signing what could very much be a death warrant. _You will share your life with a person you despise, have a child with him and smile like this is what you want._ That summed it up. Oh, and add the paragraph about no ill intentions toward one's partners and intentional actions to end the union will be severely punished. Very romantic, really.

"Lovely," she muttered.

With a swish of her hand she placed her signature at the bottom of the page, just above her full name. Without even glancing at Draco she handed the quill to him and watched as he signed. As soon as he was finished silver threads of light rose from their names and intertwined in a slow dance, sealing their fate. The bright light increased until seconds later it was all out.

Just then the door opened and a young woman stepped through the door followed by a man that looked to be the age of Hermione's father.

"Ah, Edward, you're here, wonderful. Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy, this is Edward Graham, our publicist. He will be working with you to fulfill your contract's demands."

The man smiled pleasantly and Hermione tentatively returned the gesture. Draco just regarded him in silence.

"I'll leave you to it then. Edward, please come see me after you are done here. Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, have a nice day. Lovely to see you, Sharon." He added, squeezing the young woman's arm briefly before walking out the door and closing it behind him.

"How do you do?" Graham asked Hermione, offering his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Graham." Hermione said as they shook hands.

"Please call me Edward. And this is Sharon, my assistant." He motioned to the young woman as he shook Draco's hand.

Sharon gave a short wave and Hermione smiled in return.

"Alright then, so we have a few things to take care of." Edward began. "As you know, the engagements have yet to be announced. The media is going crazy trying to print new information and we shall take advantage of this. We believe yours will be the most shocking, so it is important that you know what to say when they approach you."

With a flick of his wand the desk was replaced by a sofa and he sat on it, making the meeting a bit more informal. Sharon took a seat next to him and continued to ignore them as she read through files.

"We need to begin with small things, like dates between you two. Maybe brunch tomorrow, dinner on Tuesday, that sort of thing. You will have to spend quite some time together and most importantly, you have to get to know each other. It can't work if you are seen together outside but you go back to ignoring each other behind closed doors."

"But isn't that the whole point? We have to sell the image, who cares what goes on behind closed doors?" Draco said with a shrug.

"That is correct, yes. But everyone knows the history you two share. Believe me when I say it will be easy to see through any act. In this situation I'm more than a publicist, I'm also what you could call a counselor. I know it will be hard, but you are stuck in this for life and my goal is for you to at least become friends. It will benefit the Ministry, the Wizarding world, but most importantly, you."

Hermione hated to admit it, but Edward did make sense. She was going to spend her life with Malfoy, might as well make it as pleasant as possible. She had enough to deal with, what with her mission and all, without adding their antagonistic relationship to the mix. It could even make things easier, since she had to earn his trust.

"But we have a time limit," Hermione pointed out.

"And we will work with that. I know you two have a wedding to plan and we will juice it to the max. The papers will go mad trying to get a hold of you and so in order to control the situation a bit you will have photographers set by us everywhere you go."

"We'll be a reality show?" Hermione asked indignantly.

"A what?" Draco asked at the same time Edward said "Pardon?"

"Never mind." Hermione said. "You will have us set up an act and you will document it yourself. Yes?"

"Correct." Edward answered. "Now we only have to figure out your first outing."

"Maybe ring shopping?" Hermione asked.

"Really, Granger. How desperate are you?" Draco mocked.

"Shut up you moron. I told parents we're engaged. They have been a bit distant from what has been going on here and so I had them believe you proposed to me. They wouldn't have taken the marriage law thing well."

"So?" Draco asked.

"And so they want to meet you. We have to pretend and a ring would help."

Draco laughed. This irked Hermione.

"What?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"It's funny you think I will meet your parents." He said with a smile still on his lips.

"You will!" Hermione shot back.

"I will not!" Draco returned.

"Why not?"

"They're _muggles_."

"So?"

"What do you mean, '_so?_'? I'm a wizard."

"Again: so?"

"It's actually a good idea." Edward commented.

"It's ridiculous." Draco spat.

"No. Like I said, you two have history. The thing that set you apart before might just be the perfect thing to unite you now."

"Except _you_ are uniting us." Draco pointed out.

"Yes, but let's look at this from a place that could be very beneficial for you. You are working on getting your father's company back on its feet. You will need support and you will have to earn it. Marrying her _and_ getting along with her and everything she represents could make the difference for you."

Hermione snorted. Draco scowled.

"Hermione Granger is a war hero, an icon. People approve of her, they love her. Get on board with her ideals and soon they will approve of you."

"She's not that perfect." Draco scoffed.

_Wizard, please._ Hermione smirked. "Ah, but I am. Get on board with my ideals Malfoy and get me a damn ring."

Draco growled.

"Do you have a date set up for when he's to meet your parents?" Edward interrupted.

"No. I told them I would let them know. They want to have dinner. I can's stall for more than a week." Hermione answered.

"Alright then. You will have dinner tomorrow night. It will be a bit soon, but you will have brunch on Sunday and we'll see about getting you a ring until Wednesday. Is dinner with your parents alright next Friday night?"

"Actually, next Friday for me doesn't work well. Saturday?" Hermione said.

"Sorry, darling. Saturday doesn't work for me." Draco said patronizingly.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Why not?"

"Just because." Draco shrugged nonchalantly.

"I work on Friday, you idiot. Give me a good excuse."

"I don't like your pet names for me, darling." Draco answered instead.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Quit being such a girl, Malfoy. We are having dinner at my parents' on Saturday. You have to do everything in your power to make this work, remember? Not meeting my parents is a deal breaker."

Draco sighed dramatically. "Fine, quit whining."

"Brilliant!" Edward gushed and turned to Sharon. "Make a detailed agenda of the next week, their reservations and so on. Write a draft of the message that will be forwarded to the papers and have it in my office by five."

"Right away, sir." Sharon replied and began jotting things down.

"Now for you two." Edward said turning to Draco and Hermione. "The contract prevents you from telling anyone about the campaign. And I advise you not tell anyone of the engagement until the official release, when the papers print the couples' information, which is tomorrow."

Both Draco and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"So now you each go back to your normal routine and I will owl you the details of tomorrow's plans. It was wonderful to meet you, and should you need anything, here is mine and Sharon's contact information, feel free to owl any time." Edward rose followed by Sharon and the sofa turned back into a desk.

Hermione rose from her seat as well and Draco slowly followed suit.

"It was lovely meeting you. Until next time." Edward said, making his way to the door.

Hermione turned to Draco, feeling as awkward as ever.

"Well, this has been most entertaining. See you tomorrow, Granger." Draco said and walked out of the room.

Hermione let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding and slowly rubbed her temples. So far so good. Now she had to face the rest of the world.

**A/N **

**Hello lovelies :) So I'm getting excited because I feel like we are finally getting somewhere! So a few pointers: I feel like I didn't potray the public's dissatisfaction with the law, but I think it's safe to say that we can all imagine it without having to read it. It is happening though, let me assure you. Also I'm having sort of a hard time juggling so many characters but so far none of the names you don't recognize are relevant to the story, except Edward Graham, so don't worry if you don't remember them ;) Moving on, about Hermione's "mission", so she has to basically spy on Draco while keeping up the image of just another citizen coping with the law. There's another side to the prophecy spoken to Hermione, but it will only be revealed as their relationship develops, that's what Kingsley meant with "the real prophecy changing" in chapter two. **

**Okay so I think that kind of covers it. Thank you so much for reading! Thank you for the favorites and follows! :D You guys are amazing. I want to apologize for the delay. I would love to hear what you guys think of the story! Too unrealistic? confusing? loving it? want to see more Draco? Tell me all about it in a review! I'm working on chapter six right now and hearing from you would certainly fuel me to update quicker ;) **

**Thank you once again, and go review! You guys are the best! :D**

**Love, **

**lightmuse**


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